Libyan fighters need to stop their factionalism and join hands to rebuild the country
NS Release of al-Saadi QaddafiThe son of former Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi, has come from prison at a time when the unity government in Tripoli is trying to disarm militias, mobilize state institutions and hold elections to end the ongoing conflict. Mr Saadi’s brother, Seif al-Islam, who was seen as Qaddafi’s successor before his regime was toppled by a NATO invasion in 2011, indicated in July that he would run for president in the scheduled December elections. Will contest elections Mr Saadi was charged with crimes committed against the protesters in 2011, and the authorities reportedly decided to free him after talks with tribal elders who supported the Qaddafi family. “We cannot move forward without achieving reconciliation,” nominated Prime Minister Abdul Hameed Dabiba wrote on Twitter. The oil-rich North African country has seen little peace since Qaddafi’s death. NATO then helped various militia groups with air power to defeat their forces. But as soon as the power fell, they started fighting among themselves. Libya had established a transitional government, but failed to garner power throughout the country. Soon there were two governments – in Tripoli, the capital, and Tobruk in the east. The Tripoli government, of which the Libyan branch of the Muslim Brotherhood was a part, was supported by Qatar and Turkey, while the Tobruk government, which was positioning itself as a counterweight to Islamic extremism in the country, was supported by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. was supported. Libya fell into chaos.
In 2019, the renegade general Khalifa Haftar, who supported the Tobruk government with his militia, launched a military operation to capture Tripoli. He promised to take the entire country under his leadership and establish a stable government. But the Tripoli government, aided by Turkey, fought its forces, leading both factions to accept a UN-mediated ceasefire last year. In March this year, they agreed to establish a unity government in Tripoli, which would hold elections and ensure the country’s transition from civil war. Six months later, there are no healthy signs of such a peaceful transition. All parties had initially agreed to hold elections in December, but no agreement has yet been reached on the constitutional framework for doing so. Despite the cease-fire, continued fighting among the militias remains a more serious problem. The government has not been able to integrate the militia into the national army. In the east, Mr. Haftar’s army remains a parallel institution. The Libyan authorities have no choice but to bring together all the factions, including the old regime’s rump, to build a stable state free from civil strife. But any effort to ensure peaceful transformation will depend on the readiness of the new elite of the country to shed their factionalism and join hands to rebuild the nation.
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